


The Skeleton Next Door

by SaiphTheSwordmaster



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Asgore Dreemurr Needs a Hug, F/F, F/M, Good W. D. Gaster, Humans can speak Wingdings, Mages, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, POV Original Character, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Sexism, Pre-Accident W. D. Gaster, Queen Toriel (Undertale), Soul Bond, Soul of Justice, W. D. Gaster Needs a Hug, because MAGIC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29364378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaiphTheSwordmaster/pseuds/SaiphTheSwordmaster
Summary: Don’t trust the monsters, that’s what they all said. They were vile, vicious beasts, with the ability and hunger to take your soul. They were masters of trickery; evil behind every lie, and cunning behind every word. They gained your trust, then… Bam! You were dead and they were granted godlike power.Lizzy Williams knew this all too well, as her Ma and Pa warned her every time she went out to play with the other kiddos in her town. It had been a long time since her parents’ warnings scared her. Now all they ever accomplished was an eye roll when she was feeling generous enough to listen. If Lizzy hadn’t known better than to suspect her parents for lyin’, she would’ve deemed monsters a myth years ago. But of course, her parents were being truthful. As scary as it sounds, monsters were real. And they were evil.At least, that's what was said in the history books.What happens when our headstrong protagonist meets a certain skeleton that lives next door to them? Suddenly, everything her parents and society told her is being called into question. Does she ignore the call to action?Or does she stand with W.D. Gaster, the boy behind the fence?
Relationships: Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Asgore Dreemurr & W. D. Gaster, Asgore Dreemurr/Toriel, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, W. D. Gaster/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Don't Trust the Monsters

Don’t trust the monsters, that’s what they all said. They were vile, vicious beasts, with the ability and hunger to take your soul. They were masters of trickery; evil behind every lie, and cunning behind every word. They gained your trust, then… Bam! You were dead and they were granted godlike power.

Lizzy Williams knew this all too well, as her Ma and Pa warned her every time she went out to play with the other kiddos in her town. They were people of warning and paranoia, her parents. Every time her older sister Charlotte, or Lottie as she liked to call her, used to go out with some farmer boy, Ma wasn’t far behind with the warning to check that he wasn’t one of them disgusting monsters.

She had heard enough of her parents’ warnings to recite them by heart,  _ Don’t stay out too long, the monsters like to come out at night. Did you check the merchant before you bought that fruit? You can never be too wary of those things. You’re going to play tag with the boys? Better be certain none of them are a fanged thing in hidin’. _

It had been a long time since her parents’ warnings scared her. Now all they ever accomplished was an eye roll when she was feeling generous enough to listen. If Lizzy hadn’t known better than to suspect her parents for lyin’, she would’ve deemed monsters a myth years ago. But of course, her parents were being truthful. As scary as it sounds, monsters  _ were  _ real.

She had seen them when they used to live in her village. She was real small-like at the time, but her sister was old enough to remember the beasts. Lottie explained them in a real scary way, but there was one story that always stuck with Lizzy more than the spooks. 

It was the story of a large skeleton family. Lottie was only six years old at the time and had wandered away from the watchful eyes of Ma and Pa. She wasn’t worried, even for such a youngster, about getting lost. By the ripe old age of six, she already knew that the townsfolk kept an eye out for their own. If they spotted a lost youngling, they would provide any assistance they could give, such was the kind nature of their village.

After all, it was the great year of 1673. Their village was no longer a new settlement in the northeast corner of England. It was a quickly growing town and the people who lived there already knew the importance of looking after their own.

Her sister wandered for a bit as far as she could remember, the memory had long grown as hazy as a mid-July afternoon, but the event hereafter was as crisp and cool as a dip in Butterfly Pond. 

She remembered running into the large Pa skeleton first. Her foolish sister hadn’t been paying attention to her lively gait and ended up tripping over headfirst into the big group. She should’ve been a scraped up mess from that little incident, but all she felt was a strange feeling in her chest. To this day, Lotts still couldn’t identify or describe it. She said it felt like floating, but heavy. Before she could even process the last few seconds, she was touching the ground again, and her vision was filled with an almost concerned-looking face.

If she hadn’t known better, she could’ve sworn the monster looked worried about her. It spoke in a strange language that she couldn't even begin to understand. She was scared, as any good six-year-old had the right to be, and scurried on out of there faster than a rat in a thunderstorm. She later told Lizzy that it would take the soul of a strong mage to decipher their talk.

Of course, the Williams family hadn’t seen a mage in years. Not since the recent passing of their Great-Great-Great Grandmother Eleanor. Mages lived twice as long as it was normal, and even Gam-Gam’s three hundred year life span was on the short side. Every family worth their salt had a mage, and the Williams Family was no exception. Course, they were also a huge family full of illegitimate children, cousins more than thrice removed, and distant relatives that had never even been heard of. Since only one mage is chosen from a family after the passing of the current one, it is commonplace to assume that the role went to someone more directly related to the previous mage than you. 

Still, it didn’t stop the sisters from being utterly captivated by the mages and their magical ways. What kid wouldn’t like the idea of being granted the ability to control one of the five elements and live ten times longer than the average joe? It was a pipe dream, of course, but one that inspired many magical games.

Now, though, their Gam-Gam was long dead and the new mage was long selected. They would be lucky to even hear about the newest one, being such a large family. Lottie was a married nineteen-year-old girl now and much too old for such fantasies. Course, that didn’t stop Lizzy from fantasizing enough for the both of them. She often visited the two in their small house in the center of town. She knew enough about her sister to know that she was in love, but she didn’t get what was so great about her brother in law. He was several years older than Lottie and didn’t seem like much fun to be around at all. Lizzy long-promised herself that if she were to  _ ever  _ get married, it would be to someone interesting. 

Now that she was alone with her parents in their house, things got dreadfully lonely. Another sibling wasn’t likely, Ma and Pa were too old, so she had to find other ways to amuse herself. One of these things being running to the edge of their farm and knocking on the fence that separated their land from their neighbor’s.

When she asked her Pa about why he built such a large fence, he evaded the question. Ma said he and the guy next door had a big dispute about who owned what land, and it was eventually settled by building a big fence. It was a sore subject to Pa, as he hated to admit defeat in any matter, even if he ought to. He and his daughter had that in common, as their Ma often remarked with fond exasperation.

Lizzy was on her to the big wood fence, relishing the way the wind tickled her face and the sun burned little dots on her cheeks. There was no greater pleasure than running free in the sun, even if her mother protested the way the sunburn marred her skin and made her unattractive. She would marry the sun over a man any day, she long ago decided. Lottie even held a ceremony. The memory made her smile widen as she ran. 

Her lungs never burned when she ran like this. The only thought in her brain was one of great pleasure as she bounded through the field with the grace of a dancer and the enthusiasm of a singing cricket.

Singing, that’s what she felt like doing. Even as her fast strides stole the air from her lungs, she found the air to sing a little folk tune her Pa used to sing, “Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly, lavender's green! When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen!”

An electric balance between pleasure and pain filled her soul as she ran, sang, and gasped for air. She almost forgot her goal of knocking on the fence as she sang more of the folk tune, “ Who told you so, dilly, dilly. Who told you so?”

Her heart leaped as the fence came into view. It felt like she was crossing the finish line as she bounded up to the wall of wood. The last line of the first two choruses was a perfect finish to her racing conclusion, “'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly. That told me so,”

Lizzy stared up at the fence, wondering for a second what was on the other side. She knew there would be more fields and neatly lined up plants, but what else? Or rather who lay on the other side of the fence, longing for the chance to meet a kindred spirit? Who needed a friend as badly as she did?  
That’s what she thought about as she knocked. The fence was no longer a finish line, but a wall that she longed to break and see who was on the other side.

She knocked so hard her knuckles stung, but the hope for an answer stung even more. _Please, if you’re in there, show yourself! I won’t hurt you, kindred soul!_ She silently pleaded. _  
_ Even as she stood in the sun, her loneliness cast a wide shadow. She didn’t know why she longed so badly for someone to answer, but she wanted it in her soul. Elizabeth Williams stared into the void and pleaded for it to answer.

But nobody ca-

_ “Who’s there?” _

The voice was nothing like she had ever heard before. The very sound set her chest on fire like it had been struck by a bolt of lightning. It didn’t have a physical sound as much as it was speaking directly to her. She didn’t understand what was happening other than the fact that another lonely soul heard her call. 

What to say? She didn’t miss the opportunity for a knock-knock joke. Something about telling one seemed fitting. Hopefully her kindred spirit like puns.

“Fence,”

_ “Fence who?” _

A surge of delight filled her when the person answered. So she/he  _ did  _ like puns!

“Fencey meeting you here, stranger”

A weird crackling noise, like a hissing pan of bacon, escaped from the other side of the fence. With a jolt, Lizzy realized that her correspondent was laughing. She grinned with delight, as she was making a good impression!

“What’s your name?” She asked, not even knowing the gender of the person on the other side of the fence. His/Her voice made it impossible to tell. 

There was a long bout of silence before the person answered,  _ “I’d rather stay anonymous if it’s all the same to you. It’s not polite to ask someone you’ve just met what their name is. Names have power,”  _

She frowned. That’s not what she had been taught, still, if it made her kindred spirit uncomfortable, then who was she to protest?

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’ll stay anonymous too,” She decided.

_ “Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you, pun person,”  _ He said,  _ “May I ask how you can understand me?” _

Lizzy frowned, the confusion from the question overshadowing her happiness at being called ‘Pun Person’, “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be able to understand you?”

_ “Only my siblings can understand me when- Wait a second… Verdana is that you?! I swear, just because I’m the youngest brother-”  _ The pleasant rumble of his words grew into a sharp zap as his annoyance increased.

Lizzy had no idea who ‘Verdana’ was, but she didn’t want to make the strange boy (She now knew he was one) think she was playing a joke on him, “No, no, no! I have no idea who Verdana is. I’m just the girl who lives next door,” She explained, not saying her name on account of his weird privacy issues.

He seemed to mull it over,  _ “So… You’re not one of my siblings, then?” _

“No. I don’t even know who your siblings are. I swear, I’m just your neighbor,” She promised.

He seemed to accept that answer,  _ “Alright. So what are you doing here?”  _ He asked.

She began to slide down the fence, sitting with her back leaning against the sun-kissed wood, “I’ve stared into the void more times than I can count. I wanted it to stop staring back and answer me,” 

The answer was needlessly poetic, but somehow fitting for the conversation. Her ma used to scold her for her frivolously complicated way of looking at things.  _ That behavior will never get you a good husband!  _ She’d often say. As if that should be a girl’s only purpose in life.

Even if that was the status quo, Lizzy had bigger dreams than domesticity. She wanted to fix the unfairness of the world. There were so many unchecked wrongs that she desperately wanted to be made right. It was a burning desire in her soul that hungered for more than just a good husband and a housewife sentence.

_ “That was lovely. Do you write poetry?”  _ He asked.

Her chest flooded with warmth at the compliment, “No, I couldn’t. Ma always says that my head is in the clouds, it’d only prove her point. My ideas would better be suited for a man’s mind. At least he could do something with them,”

She could almost hear the boy frown. It was weird, like she could sense him on a deeper level than just hearing his voice. It was like she could feel his displeasure with her answer,  _ “That’s ridiculous. Whether you were born female or male shouldn’t dictate what your purpose in life is. Your mother shouldn’t put you down like that,” _

She laughed, “You’re quite something, you know that? I wish that were true, and I’d like to make it so, but even my big sister says it’s impossible. She says I should just settle for the best I can get in the world and stop dreaming so big,” 

_“Don’t do that. What are we without hopes or dreams? We’re empty husks, is what we would be. I don’t know how your family works, but in mine, we don’t limit ourselves based on the world’s expectations. My siblings are going to fight for us soon, and when they win they’ll be back and our lives will be better. I don’t like fighting, but it doesn’t seem like talking’s an option anymore. Before I thought Verdana was playing one last trick on me before he left,”_ _  
_ Lizzy leaned against the fence even more as she listened to his monologue. His family had some strange world views, but she was more fascinated than weirded out. If anything, she’d like to meet them. Sudden surprise filled her when she processed what he said about his siblings.

“So your brothers are fighting against the monsters?” She asked, “That’s mighty brave of them. My Pa’s going to fight too in a few weeks, maybe they’ll meet him out there,” Lizzy smiled at the idea of their families fighting side by side. Selfishly, she wished she could join them. But she was a lady and a much too young one at that. Ladies weren’t meant for fighting.

The atmosphere suddenly changed from warm and electrically charged to cold and dead as a winter night,  _ “Wait… Are you- Are you a human?” _

What a weird question. Of course, she was human, was he worried that she was a monster? How absurd!

“Of course, I’m human, silly. What, did you think I was one of the savages?”

He went deathly quiet. Her reassurance had the opposite effect that she hoped. Instead of laughing at his paranoia or relaxing, he was tense as a bowstring.

“Are you al-” 

_ “I have to go,”  _ His voice was tense and hit her straight in the chest, like he’d let the arrow fly,  _ “We shouldn't do this again,” _

With that, he was gone. 

Lizzy didn’t know how to react. What on Earth had just happened? The second she mentioned the conflict between humans and monsters, he up and ditched her. It made no sense!  
Why did he get so mad when she-

Wait.

No, it couldn’t be.

That’s… Impossible.

But yet, it was not. He had a strange voice, culture, and way of thinking. He tensed up when she insulted monsters. That could only mean one thing, and it terrified her.

The boy next door was a monster.

And that meant that everything her parents told her growing up was a lie.


	2. Soul of Justice

Lizzy’s mood going home was drastically different than her mood running to the fence. When she was running free in the field, she believed herself unquestionably in the right and understanding the world around her. Now, the straight rows of plants doubted her as she trudged by. The sun betrayed her as it stung her cheeks bright red. They seemed to reveal their true nature, and she wondered if she could ever be happy again with the knowledge that her world was wrong.

Because, though she didn’t know how or why she knew, she  _ felt  _ the boy’s soul. She was one with it, and any malcontent would’ve shown itself clear as Butterfly Pond. There was no doubt in her mind that he was good, but there was also no doubt in her mind that he was a monster. Those things couldn’t go hand in hand… Could they?

Whatever the case, she needed answers and she needed them  _ now.  _ Her parents had a hell of a lot of explaining to do, Lottie, too if she had anything to do with this. 

You don’t lie to Elizabeth Williams and just expect to get away with it.

Her anger mounted as she entered the front door. Knowing her parents had been lying to her for all these years infuriated the small girl. She slammed the front door coming in, demanding attention and answers alike.

Her ma was the first to notice her foul mood, “Elizabeth! Mind the door, goodness, what’s gotten into you?”

She wasn’t having her Ma’s disdain, “You lied to me! You lied to me and Lottie, Ma! How could you?”

Ma’s expression froze before morphing a look of hurt, “Lizzy, darling, I would never-”

“Liar! Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar!” She snapped, interrupting her mother in her rage.

Pa heard the shouting from outside and rushed to intervene, “What’s going on here?”  
Lizzy whipped around to face him, “You two! Both of you! You lied to me about the monsters!”

Pa froze and a scary expression came over his face, “What did you just say?”

Her resolve trembled a little, but she stayed true, “You heard me! You always say that monsters are killers! Well, I just met one and-”  
Both of her parents gasped, “You _what?”_

Ma took her face in her hands, “Are you alright? Did it hurt you?”

“Wha- No! Of course not! He was nice to me,” She snapped, slapping her ma’s hands away.

Her face morphed into a sympathetic expression, “Oh, sweetheart… You’ve been fooled by its niceties,”

“No, I haven’t!” She argued, “I would’ve been able to tell a mile away if he wanted to hurt me,”  
“Elizabeth. Monsters hide their true intentions from you until they strike. The beast might’ve _seemed_ harmless, but it was just lyin’ in wait for you to let your guard down. Do you really trust one of _them_ over us? Your own Ma and Pa?” 

She gazed up at her father, a seed of doubt beginning to sprout in her rage. Would her parents really lie to her? They changed her diapers, fed her hungry mouth, and provided her shelter throughout her life. Would either of them really have the gall to lie to her face?  
Then again, would the boy behind the fence even dream of hurting her or of hurting anyone for that matter? She just couldn't convince herself that this was the case. She was becoming more and more sure the two had some sort of soul connection, and there wasn’t a violent bone in his body. Still, she would get nothing from yelling and screaming.

Her tone did a 180 as she addressed her pa in a real calm manner, “Say, Pa? What’s beyond the big wood fence? Who lives out there?” This question would determine whether or not her parents felt like being truthful.

Pa stiffened like a board. After a long silence, he decided to answer, “No one lives out there. I don’t want you going near that fence again, you hear?”

Lizzy nodded. That just about confirmed her suspicions. She couldn’t believe it, but in hindsight it was no surprise. Her parents were a couple of dirty liars.

“I understand now, Pa. I won’t go near the fence again,” She promised.

Her ma still looked worried, “And that monster?”  
“I’ll stay away from him, Ma. Promise. I’m going to visit Lottie and Charles,” She said, walking out of the house before her parents could have the mind to protest.

As she walked the dirt road into town, she had to wonder… 

Since when had lying ever been so easy?

Lottie lived above a shop in the center of town where all the hustle and bustle happened. Lizzy always often came to visit. She loved the lively thrum of the town square so much it hurt. 

She went to the back of the pawn shop, waved at her brother in law, headed upstairs to their little apartment, and knocked on the door. Her mood this time was a lot more sombre than when she snuck into town to go to the adult’s only night festival. Her heart hurt at the memory of dancing in the sunset and drinking something that burned her throat and made her head spin. It was the most fun night of her life, well worth the hefty punishment she was dealt when she went home. Now, however, she had a weight on her heart. 

Lottie answered the door and smiled warmly, “Sister! It’s been so long since you’ve visited, Charlie was wondering if you had finally started taking school seriously,” 

She managed a small laugh, “Tell him that dark day is still long in the future,” 

“Will do. Come in, come in, Liz! You’re in luck, I just got done baking cookies,” She said, leading her sister inside. 

Lizzy had been initially upset with her sister being a housewife, but she seemed happy with the constant cooking and chores. At least that was enough for one of them. 

She was almost jealous sometimes. Her sister was happy with her life and she doubted she would ever feel the burden of discontent. Charlotte was satisfied. Sometimes, Lizzy wondered if she would ever be satisfied.

She sat down at her sister’s kitchen table and swung her legs back and forth. Lottie was bent over a platter of cookies when she asked the big question, “So… To what do I owe the pleasure of hosting my flighty little sister? I hope you didn’t just come for my cookies,”

Lizzy shook her head, “No, I’m afraid not. Lotts, do you remember the story you used to tell me about that skeleton family?”

She turned around to face her, “What? Where is this coming from?”

How the hell was she supposed to answer that? She knew her sister had never once questioned the intentions of monsters. If she told her how she met a nice one, she would assume the same as her parents, that he tricked her. Even worse, she might tell her parents about this. No, subtlety was definitely the way to go here.

“Can I ask you a rhetorical question, Lotts?” She asked, looking her sister in the eyes.

Lottie laughed, a little bewildered by her sister’s strange behavior, “It depends on the question, I suppose,”

Lizzy snorted, “Well, I’m not gonna ask you what you would do if your hair suddenly started on fire,”  
Her sister gave an exaggerated gasp, “Don’t even suggest it! My, what an evil question. My hair,”

She giggled, “Oh, stop it, you drama queen,”

Lottie laughed and brought over the plate of cookies, “I must say, I’ve missed your visits,”

“Why? Cause you’re married to Mr. Snoozefest?” She challenged.

Her sister glared at her and tapped her on the head with a rolling pin.

“Ow! What was that for?”  
“Don’t call my husband ‘Mr. Snoozefest’,” She snapped.

“Well, he is one! Seriously, when was the last time he smiled. The man is made of stone,” 

“He’s good to me, Elizabeth. You would be wise to drop these childish notions of adventure and get some reality in that daydreamin’ head of yours,” She lectured.

She gave her sister a disgusted look, “Lord, Lottie! You’re starting to sound like Ma,”

“Well, have you ever stopped to think that Ma might have a point? I’m serious, sister. You’re going to be sixteen soon. It’s only a matter of time until you have to find a husband of your own, and I hope to God you have a good man in mind,” She said, putting several cookies on a plate and passing it across the table.

Lizzy picked up a cookie and took a bite, though Charlotte’s words made it taste like dust. She had been avoiding the topic of her coming birthday for that exact reason. She hated the thought that she soon would be pressured to tie herself down to some Mr. So and So in his mid twenties.

Lottie noticed her expression and softened, “Hey, don’t fret. I didn’t mean to be so harsh with you. You’re a pretty girl. You should hear the girls at the schoolhouse. Even the girls my age were jealous of your eyes,”  
She looked up with disbelief, crushing the remainder of the cookie into crumbs, “What’s so good about my eyes?”

“They’re the brightest shade of blue anyone’s ever seen. I got saddled with Pa’s tiny brown eyes, but yours put the sky to shame. I must admit I’ve always been a little jealous,”  
She laughed incredulously, “Yeah, right. Sure, my eyes are fine, but what about my hair? You got Ma’s pretty blonde, mine’s a horrible red. Besides, I don’t give a horse’s behind what my eyes or hair look like to some stuck up schoolgirls. I just want to find someone like me,”

“If that’s your bar, you’re going to be searching your whole life, Liz. I doubt there’s a single person in the world that thinks the way you do,” She declared while snapping a cookie in half.  
She was wrong there. There _was_ one person that she was certain thought the way she did. Lizzy would stake her life on it, “That’s where you’re wrong, Charlotte,”

She raised an eyebrow and pointed half a cookie at her, “Oh? Do tell,”

“I might’ve… Met someone,”

Charlotte’s eyes widened, “Oh, heavens above, I thought this day would never come! Does my sister, Elizabeth Williams, have a crush?”   
Lizzy turned redder than her hair, “What?! No! Lottie, that’s awful, I just met the boy!”   
“Love at first sight, oh! I want to plan the wedding!”

“Lottie!”  
“So, what’s his name? What does he look like? Where’s he from? Do I know him? What do his Ma and Pa do? I want to know _everything_ ,” She said, leaning over the table so they were nearly nose to nose.

She should’ve known better than tell her in that way. Now she thought she was in love, which was totally ridiculous! She didn’t even know the boy’s name, “Lotts, calm down. We didn’t talk for long, I- I don’t even know his name,”

She raised an eyebrow, “Ookay. What does he look like, then?”  
Lizzy blanked when she realized she also didn’t know the answer to that question, “I- It’s kind of a blur. I think he had black hair,”

A total lie, obviously. She had no idea what color the monster boy’s hair was if he had any.

“You don’t remember what this handsome stranger even looked like?” She echoed in disbelief.

“We didn’t meet for long! He just- He said some things to me that made me think,” 

“What things?” 

“Things about the world! Why can’t ladies fight? Why can’t we have big ideas? Why do we have to be quiet? I don’t want to be quiet! I hate it! I  **hate** it!” Lizzy ranted, her breath growing uneven towards the end.

Charlotte was speechless, before finally speaking in a soft tone, “Is this about Pa fighting against the monsters?”

Lizzy was about ready to cry. Why couldn’t her sister understand that she wasn’t being crazy or just worried about their father’s safety? She nearly sobbed with frustration, “NO! This isn't about Pa! It’s about you, and me, and Ma, and every other girl! I want to be seen! I want to be someone! Why is the world so determined to erase us?!” 

Lottie might’ve wanted to speak, to interrupt her rant, but she wasn’t done.

“And what about the monsters? What did they ever do to make us hate them so much? I don’t understand! Why? Why are we fighting them! Why is everything so completely and utterly  **wrong?!** ” She burst into tears at the end. Everything she had been taught was not only wrong, but went against all of her proudest ideals. The poor girl’s soul hurt with the injustice of the world. The most infuriating question was  _ why,  _ because there was no proper answer.

Charlotte ran to her sister’s side and hugged her. She didn’t understand her sister, not in the least, but she loved her more than anything else in the world, “Shh. Shh, it’s alright. I’m here,”

The words did nothing to reassure Lizzy, who only cried harder at the attempted comfort, “Y- You don’t understand!” 

“No,” Lottie agreed, “I don’t. But you’re my little sister, and I hate to see you cry,”

She calmed down a little at her honesty, “At least you’re not like Ma and Pa. They’re liars,” 

“Hey. Don’t say that,” She admonished.

“It’s true! Pa treats me like I’m stupid and Ma always acts like she understands when she  _ doesn’t _ !” 

“They might not understand what you’re feeling, but they love you. They want to understand, believe me, they do. I know I do, but we just can’t. It’s not their fault and it’s not your fault. It’s just the way things are,”

Sometimes, even if she swore to always abide by it, Lizzy hated the truth. 

“I know. I’m sorry,” She said.

“Don’t be sorry, little sister. You never have to apologize for being upset. Now, let’s finish this plate of cookies, alright?”

She managed a smile, “Okay,”

The two got into a more dignified position with Lizzy in her chair properly and Lottie back in hers. The remaining cookies were quickly devoured by the sisters, who enjoyed a much lighter conversation.

“How are things going with you and the bear?” Lizzy asked, twirling a strand of her painfully red hair in her fingers.

She attempted to glare at the younger, “Don’t call Charlie a bear,”

“You’re smiling,”  
“I am, and I hate it,”  
“Seriously, when was the last time you two did anything fun together? I want to know,” She probed.

“I’ll have you know that he and I danced yesterday. Charles is actually plenty fun. He may not be wild, but he’s gentle and kind,” She said.

“Whatever you say,” 

Lottie realized she wasn’t going to get anything better out of her and sighed, “So, how’s school going?”  
“Next question,”

She laughed, “You can’t just skate by anymore, I know. I remember when I was your age. It was a nightmare! I’m so glad those days are over,”  
Lizzy buried her head in her hands and groaned, “Shut uuuuup,”  
“About that mystery boy, I assume Ma and Pa don’t know about him?” 

She winced, “They, uh… They wouldn’t approve of him, let’s just say that,”

Charlotte frowned, “Why? Is he some kind of troublemaker?”

“Um… You could say that. I just had a feeling that he wasn’t much of a rule follower,” She lied. 

Elizabeth felt bad about lying, again, but there was no other choice. The boy’s safety was much more important than her beliefs about the truth. She wasn’t the type to sacrifice someone for her principles.

Her sister was quiet, and she frowned. Did she say something wrong? Was Lottie worried?

“Uh, is that a problem?”

“No, no I’m not surprised you’re attracted to the rebellious type. Still, there’s a fine line between him being troublesome and more trouble than he’s worth. Don’t lose the distinction, or you’ll get yourself into trouble,” She said.

It was a sound warning that oddly lined up with her actual situation. Huh, “I’ll remember that,” 

“Good, good. A little fun isn’t worth your future, and it damn sure isn’t worth your life. As long as you're careful with that kind of type, you could find yourself a soulmate,” She said.

Lizzy frowned, “How do you know all of this?”

“Let’s say I’ve seen quite a few rebels in my life. There’s a reason why I married a stable guy. No one will break your heart worse,” She warned.

Then, again, it hit her that Lottie still thought she was in love with the fence boy, “And that doesn’t apply to me, because I don’t like him! For the last time, Lotts, we’re barely friends,”

“Whatever you say, sister dear. Don’t forget about my warning, though. I’ve got a little sibling intuition that you’re gonna need it,”

On that note, the bear came through the front door. Lottie lit up like a candle, “Charlie!”

The bear smiled and kissed her sister on the cheek, “Afternoon, my love,”

Lizzy rolled her eyes. Did the two of them have to be so  _ gross _ ? 

“Well. As fun as this has been, I’d better get home before Ma and Pa think I got eaten by coyotes,” She joked, getting up and heading towards the stairs.

Lottie smiled, “Take care to remember my advice. And come over more often! It isn’t the same around here without you,”

“Will do, sis!”

Her smile faded as soon as she left the sight of her sister and brother in law. Little did they know, she had a lot to think about. 

And something told her that she would be hearing from the monster boy much sooner than she thought.


End file.
